Storage tanks containing fluids are used throughout most of the world. As part of the storage tank, there is normally a monitor attached to the storage tank to monitor the level of fluid within the tank. The monitor is often in wired or wireless communication with a data center or other facility from which the owner of the tank can stay apprised of the amount of product in the storage tank.
When installing a monitor on a tank that is remotely located from the data center, it is important to verify that the installation of the monitor was successful while the installation personnel are still on site. Since some storage facilities are located in remote or rural areas, repeated service calls or visits by the installation personnel can be quite costly. In previous systems, once an installer installs the monitor on the tank to be monitored, the installation personnel activates the monitor. The monitor would then run a self test to be make sure that it is operating properly and to determine if the installation was successful. Once this self test is complete, the status of the installation is communicated to the installation personnel using a digital or analog display.
An LED is one type of display/method that has been used to show the status or to determine if the operation after installation of the monitor on the storage tank was successful. However, since LEDs are limited to two discrete states per LED, the information transmitted to the installer may be incomplete or insufficient to provide details of any erroneous operation. If there is a problem, having an LED not turn on does not provide sufficient information as to what the problem might be. This type of display can also be cumbersome, waste battery power and require the enclosure to be opened. Also with LEDs, there is no convenient (if any) means of storing problems/information over a series of separate installations. Such installation information would be useful in tracking and tracing design, manufacturing and installation method problems.
Other storage tank monitors have used LCDs to display information to the installation personnel regarding the installation of the monitor. While this may be slightly more advanced than a simple LED, the information passed on to the installer is still limited. For example, a code number may display on the LCD. This code number will translate to a problem or status of the installation. Even though this is more information that a simple LED can present, this code number must be inconveniently looked up or translated to determine what the code represents. The LCD will also have similar problems as listed with the LEDs, including lack of permanent storage capability.
Other storage tank monitoring systems have used a hard-wired connection to a data center to check for operation after installation. However, this can be a burden to set up and be costly. This burden and cost may include special know-how and special tools for installers to use. It may also require as with the LEDs and LCDs the enclosure to be opened.
While each of these prior methods provides some measure of confidence that the installation was successful, none of them have the ability to check the entire data path for proper operation. This is especially true in wireless tank level monitoring systems, which require signal strength and may rely on various hops along the data path before the information arrives at the data center.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a system and method of providing verification of proper installation and operation of a tank level monitor that is capable of testing the entire data path and that provides the installer rapid verification while still on site. The present invention provides such a system and method. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.